Pillars of Eternity Guidebook Volume Two: The Deadfire Archipelago

Pillars of Eternity

by Obsidian Entertainment, Paul Kirsch

This 120-page tome contains never before seen concept art, in-depth writing from the minds of the design team, and expands on the rich lore of this highly-anticipated game. Step into the role of the Watcher and explore the world of Eora with this beautiful hardcover featuring fantastic full-color art!

Thanks to a successful crowdfunding campaign, the long-awaited sequel to Pillars of Eternity is ready to transport players back to the history-rich world of Eora. Dark Horse Books and Obsidian Entertainment proudly present Volume Two of the Pillars of Eternity Guidebook, which offers a detailed accounting of the explosive conflicts, determined factions, and horrifying creatures of the Deadfire Archipelago.

Genres: Fantasy, Role Playing Games, Video Games, Gaming

120 pages, Hardcover

Published May 8, 2018

Reviews

[Reni · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find it a bit difficult to describe what kind of book this is.

It's not an artbook (there's art, but more text than art, really, and the text isn't about the art).
It's not a game-guide.
This book is written like a travel-guide and entirely diegetic. It contains info about the Deadfire, about the people there (indigenous, visitors and colonisers), about wildlife, as well as a lot of stories.

The best description I can think of for this book is a lore-book. If you are a fan and want to dive deeper into the Deadfire, this is the book for you. Even if you are not a fan and you are simply looking for world-building inspiration for fantasy works, this is a good book for you. The world you will find in this book is incredibly detailed, even beyond what ended up being shown in the game (as it should be with good, in-depth world-building). Politics, religion, trade, climate, fauna, etc. it's all there.

I really enjoyed leafing through this. The only thing would have wanted more of, is some more art works. I may have to check out the first volume (released as a companion to the original Pillars of Eternity) some day.

[Filip · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't played Deadfire yet, but I must admit that this book was even better than the previous one. If I were to run a PoE tabletop game, I'd probably use the Dyrwood as the setting (or maybe move the action to the Vailian Republics) but I found this volume a very pleasant read. While some parts - the saints and relics, for example - weren't that great, the others - detailed descriptions of the factions and how the Deadfire fits the larger picture of Eora - were truly great. I wish there were pages describing the Dyrwood currency, just like the ones in this volume.

The various groups, factions and tribes are beautifully described, clearly showing how much thought was given to their customs and traditions. Definitely one of the better RPG settings out there and this book was truly a treat to read.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Caribbean/Polynesian setting is a refreshing change from the decrepit iterations of Tokienesque Germanisms, that's or sure. Illustrations are pretty good, though it would be nice to have had more of them. Like Volume One, there's still a lot of go-nowhere flavour text in this 'guide book' and much of it could have been whittled down or edited out completely. Still, bonus points for doing *something* other than the usual fantasy tropes. Sadly I don't think we'll see any further editions as the game upon which this was based was a commercial flop.

[Mathias Mahieu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a guide to the game, but a guide to the Deadfire Archipelago, it´s rich history, places, residents, bestiary,... great read for those intrested in the lore (and incredible artwork) of the game .